1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film solar cell and a method of manufacturing the same. Particularly, the present invention relates to a thin film solar cell realizing high production yield and suppressing degradation in conversion efficiency even when a short-circuit occurs in a photoelectric conversion layer, as well as to a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view showing a part of a conventional thin film solar cell. In the thin film solar cell, on a translucent insulating substrate 1 such as a glass substrate, a strip-shaped transparent conductive film 2 is formed, and on transparent conductive film 2, solar cells 10 and 11 are formed, which cells include a strip-shaped photoelectric conversion layer 3 formed of a p-layer, an i-layer and an n-layer of amorphous silicon thin films stacked successively by a known plasma CVD method or the like, and a back surface electrode 4. Transparent conductive film 2 is separated by a first separation trench 5, the first solar cell 10 and the second solar cell 11 are positioned side by side with a first opening trench 7 for passing light positioned therebetween, and transparent conductive film 2 of the first solar cell 10 is electrically connected in series with back surface electrode 4 of the second solar cell 11, through a connecting trench 6.
In the thin film solar cell having such a structure, the surface can be protected by translucent insulating substrate 1. Further, thanks to development of a plasma-resistant transparent conductive film such as SnO2, it becomes possible to form an amorphous silicon thin film by plasma CVD method. Therefore, the thin film solar cell of this type comes to be widely used, and is dominant at present.
FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of the thin film solar cell of FIG. 7. In the thin film solar cell, in order to further improve light transmittance, second opening trenches 8 orthogonal to the first opening trench 7 may be provided, as shown in the schematic perspective view of FIG. 3. In the thin film solar cell shown in FIG. 3, the current is taken out by a lead 9.